Kano State has emerged as the leading state in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO), recording the highest number of candidates who obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
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The state recorded 74,413 candidates who met the five-credit benchmark, placing it ahead of Lagos State, which recorded 72,496 candidates, while Oyo State came third with 55,543 candidates.
The performance marks the second consecutive year Kano has topped the NECO national performance chart, after recording the highest number of candidates meeting the same five-credit benchmark in the 2025 examination.
Reacting to the result, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, commended students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders for contributing to the state’s performance.
Yusuf said the back-to-back result demonstrated that the state’s investment in education was producing measurable results. He pledged that his administration would continue to prioritise education through increased funding, improved learning facilities, teacher recruitment and training, scholarships and support for indigent students.
The governor also disclosed that the Kano State Government spent more than N4.4 billion in 2026 to sponsor candidates for the Senior School Certificate Examination, particularly students from indigent backgrounds.
He said the intervention was intended to reduce financial barriers and ensure that students were able to participate in the examination.
According to the state government, its investment in education also includes the renovation of classrooms, recruitment and training of teachers, provision of learning materials and uniforms, scholarships and other interventions aimed at improving learning conditions.
The state said education has continued to receive a significant share of its annual career-guidance-training-in-kano/">budget. Kano allocated N168.35 billion, representing about 31 per cent of its 2025 budget, to the education sector, while N405.35 billion was allocated to education in the 2026 budget, representing about 30 per cent of the state’s N1.48 trillion budget.
The 2026 NECO results showed that a total of 804,948 candidates nationwide, representing 58.67 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtained at least five credits including English Language and Mathematics.
NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, said the council recorded a significant decline in examination malpractice during the 2026 examination, with 1,406 candidates involved compared with 3,878 candidates in 2025.
The development represents a 64.74 per cent reduction in reported malpractice cases, according to the council.
Governor Yusuf dedicated Kano’s latest NECO performance to the state’s students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders, while assuring residents that his administration would sustain its investment in education.
He said the objective was to build an education system capable of equipping young people with the knowledge and skills required for higher education, employment, innovation and leadership.
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